131.81 CAO Responsibilities

The CAO responsibilities are:

1. Tell cash assistance applicants/recipients about:

The support enforcement process

Cooperation requirements

Good cause provisions

What happens when a person does not cooperate without good cause

55 Pa. Code §153.44(b)(2)(i)(C)

Appeal rights and procedures.

2. Complete a Certificate of Cooperation PA/CS 643A , and give it to the applicant to take to DRS to comply with support requirements to establish parentage and a support order if the DRS personal appearance requirement has not been waived in the household's county of residence by the Secretary of Human Services . Advise individuals who must make a personal appearance that most DRS do not see individuals without an appointment.

3. Authorize electronic image generation of the Application for Support Services, PA/CS 643 in eCIS if one of the following is true :

The Secretary of Human Services approved the court personal appearance waiver or

The CAO receives the Certificate of Cooperation PA/CS 643A from the DRS showing that the applicant cooperated with support requirements.

4. Follow the good cause determination process. See Section 131.6 Good Cause .

55 Pa. Code § 187.26(c)(1)

5. Apply sanctions when a noncooperation notice or court order is received from the DRS or BCSE :

Lower the grant by 25 percent when cash assistance (TANF) recipients do not cooperate with support requirements.

Authorize cash benefits and lower the grant by 25 percent when eligible cash assistance applicants do not cooperate with support requirements. This means that all mandatory budget group members in a TANF budget group must be eligible and must cooperate with RESET requirements. They must work or participate in work-related activities. See Appendix D, Eligibility Status for Noncooperation with Support Requirements and Mandatory Participation in Road to Economic Self-Sufficiency Through Employment and Training (RESET) .

6. Enter information about medical resources into eCIS and the Third- Party Liability (TPL) screens.

7. Use the automated interface between eCIS and PACSES to let the DRS know the date and reason cash assistance is discontinued, and demographic information changes.

8. Complete a PA 189 Overpayment Referral form upon discovery that a recipient has received and kept support payments assigned to the State. See Section 150.31 Support Payments for treatment of support payments paid to and kept by a sanctioned or ineligible person

At each redetermination, the CAO must:

System generate an Application for Support Services PA/CS 643 , if necessary.

Include a discussion of support and third-party resources.

Review the recipient’s responsibilities and the progress of support activities.

Check the case record to be sure that all required forms and actions were completed and processed.

Review the circumstances where there is a waiver of cooperation due to good cause. Determine if the household remains eligible for good cause if circumstances have changed. Child support cooperation may be required.